The most popular lilac grown in our gardens is the common lilac, known as the lilac. Lilac forms shrubs or small trees of various sizes, growing up to 5-6 m in height. In gardens, it is most often run in a shrub form. In May, we are captivated by its beautiful, fragrant, tubular flowers, gathered in magnificent top panicles.
Common lilac shrubs - inscribed in the rural landscape - are semi-wild because they grow on balks in field woodlands, farmsteads, along dirt and asph alt roads. They used to be planted in cemeteries and at temples.In western Poland, shrubs were planted on field dunes to strengthen and consolidate them. All this thanks to an extensive, dense root system as well as numerous suckers and suckers that bind loose, sandy soils.
In its natural state, lilac grows in southern Europe, in the Balkans , but is considered our native plant by many of us. It was brought to Poland in the second half of the XVI century during the reign of Zygmunt August. Other sources say that it was brought from Vienna after the victory of Jan III Sobieski.
Common lilac is a very grateful plant for breeders of new varieties, which have already been obtained over 1000 with different structure and size flowers. The first varieties were bred by the French gardener Wiktor Lemoine in 1870 in Nancy. In Poland, Mikołaj Karpow-Lipski in Chełmża de alt with breeding.
The cultivation includes single-flower varieties, such as 'Andenken an Ludwig Späth' with dark purple single flowers, 'Madam Florent Stepmam' with pure white flowers.Varieties with full and semi-double flowers are: 'Charles Joly' with full carmine pink flowers, 'Katherina Havemeyer' with lavender-blue and semi-double flowers, 'Madam Lemoine' with large, full and white flowers, 'Michel Buchner' with full purple-red flowers. The varieties with the original and unusual color of flowers are: 'Primrose' (this is the only variety with yellow flowers, which is light green in the bud, and bright yellow after development) and 'Sensation' with purple flowers with a white border on the edge of the patches.
Common lilac begins its growth very early in the springand ends in June or mid-July. It blooms on last year's shoots, i.e. flower buds a year earlier. Requires a very sunny position because it blooms poorly in light shade. It prefers light to medium-firm, sufficiently moist soils, with a neutral or alkaline reaction. Due to the shallow and dense root system, the soil under the shrubs should not be dug, but only mulched with decomposed manure, compost, bark or leaves.Most lilac varieties can be planted in an urban environment as this shrub tolerates air pollution quite well.
The best date for planting shrubs is SeptemberPlanted in spring, they do not adapt well and require systematic watering. The bushes grown in container nurseries are the most suitable for planting, as they have a strong and undamaged root system. Holes with a diameter of 50-60 cm should be covered with compost or spread manure. Fresh manure is not used. Plants formed by budding are planted deeper, so that the root neck is covered with 3-4 cm of soil (with deeper planting, they produce numerous shoots that are difficult to remove). After planting, the shoots are shortened by more than half. In the first year after planting, the bushes have short growths. A year after planting in spring, they are pruned over a well-formed pair of buds. Valuable and well-developed flowers will develop in the third year after planting. In the first years after flowering, faded inflorescences are removed so as not to force the plant to set fruit and seeds.We supply the bushes in the garden with organic fertilizers, mulching the soil surface. For feeding with mineral fertilizers, Azofoska or a mixture of potassium sulphate, superphosphate and ammonium sulphate in the proportion 1: 1: 1 in two terms - before the beginning of vegetation and in mid-June at a dose of 40 g per plant.
In gardens, lilac varieties should be planted along the fences, in the corners of the garden and directly next to the buildings on the sunny side. Unfortunately, a well-developed root system effectively competes with other plants, so it is best to plant the common periwinkle under the bushes, which effectively covers the soil.
